Five gold medals, one silver and two bronze, were on the cards for the Trinidad and Tobago swim team on the opening night of the 2015 Carifta Championships at the Barbados Aquatic Centre Friday night. The effort in the pool was boosted in the Boys’ 15-17 4x100m relay, where the T&T team won gold, clocking three minutes, 36.50 seconds. Currently, the national team stands at third on the overall standings after the first day of competition.
Jeron Thompson, Kael Yorke, Racine Ross and Tyla Martin were the other swimmers who got to the wall first in their individual events.
Thompson won the Boys 13-14 50m backstroke, clocking 28.47 seconds. Yorke got home first in the 100m butterfly in 58.17. Racine Ross (13-14) and Tyla Martin (15-17) both won the 100m butterfly Girls events, clocking 1:04.78 and 1:04.82 respectively. Meanwhile, the 15-17 boys were able to clock 3:36.50 on the way to victory in the Boys 4x100m relay.
Other athletes to cop precious metal included Aquel Joseph, who came second in the Boys 11-12 100m butterfly, clocking 1:05.82. Jahmia Harley placed third in the Girls 11-12 100m butterfly in 1:10.53, and Emil Goin with 57.23, won bronze in the same event in the Boys 15-17 division.
Graham Chatoor may not have medalled last night, but he did have a reason to be satisfied, shaving 33 seconds off his personal best when he clocked 17:36.31, finishing fifth in the Boys 13-14 1500m freestyle.
The four-day competition features junior swimmers from across the region and is but a small portion of the overall action. The event also includes the already completed water polo and synchronized swimming events from March 27-29, while the open water event will conclude the championships on April 8.
Team standings:
1.Bahamas 209.
2.Barbados 149.50.
3.Trinidad and Tobago 128.
4.Guadeloupe 117.
5.Jamaica 112.
6.Suriname 73.
7.Aruba 72.
8.Cayman Islands 64.
9.Bermuda 61.
10.Martinique 57.